Why Is Online Video Marketing So Important In 2014

Why is online video marketing so important in 2014? This is the question we are going to answer in this post, but first there are a couple of other key questions that we need to consider: does my company or brand need videos? Does video marketing provide a good ROI compared with other marketing efforts?

If I had created a video instead of this blog post to make my point I am sure I would have enticed an (even) bigger audience than I will now. We would agree that a motion picture normally attracts us more than an intriguing novel or comic book based on the same story.

Although some people prefer reading, when we are focused on exposing our marketing efforts to the maximum number of people, video is the answer. Let’s compare the different interest levels by looking at the common reaction to text content, infographics or online videos. Which one do you think is more effective?

Video Marketing Can Evoke Feelings

Visual content that is interesting, unique and of high-quality will arouse strong feelings within its audience. Let’s analyse the most common feelings and emotions that video marketing can evoke:

1: Trust

Online videos have a big advantage over other marketing content: the human touch it brings to brands. When real people appear in your video it gains the trust of your users and, with competition growing between brands in almost every online niche, this trust can make all the difference.

Take a look at the following company videos which illustrate our point:

2: Curiosity

If you want to ignite curiosity in your potential audience, try dicing your content into shorter videos. This is an effective video marketing tactic if you want to get conversions in the form of subscriptions. Always end your videos with a teaser about what to expect in the next video and/or a call-to-action link to a site with further details not shared in the video.

This sample video ends with a preview for the next installment in the video series:

3: Confidence

When a potential customer is considering doing business with you, they will usually look for customer testimonials. If you have a text testimonial with a picture, name and location, they will only be half convinced. But if you have a video testimonial, then you’ll have them: they can identify themselves with the other person and this will eradicate any apprehension they may still have.

4: Amusement

Most of the viral content on the internet and social media are videos. Videos are fun to watch and some of them can be extremely creative (e.g. animated videos, funny videos). Look for a concept related to your niche and bring it to life with a blend of creativity and humor ; the perfect recipe to increase your brand’s fan base. This kind of video is not easy as it takes a lot of conceptualisation and expertise. But if you can manage to make one, the competition will be so sparse that it will set you apart from others in your industry.

Why is Online Video Marketing So Important in 2014?

• Rising User Statistics: 93 percent of the 600 marketing professionals surveyed said they had used video content in 2013 and 82 percent of them said they found it effective, according to ReelSEO. Forty-one percent of adults in the US watch online videos. Just imagine how intense the online video usage for digital marketing will be in 2014!

•  More Content In Less Time: The attention span of internet users is diminishing every year with the changes in the type of content shared online. Video is the type of digital content that is seeing an increase in its usage, while the length of each piece continues to decrease. People are also watching videos on the go and don’t want to strain their eyes reading text, especially when on a tablet or mobile phone. (NOTE: If your customer base is located in a place with slow internet/wi-fi connectivity, the scenario would be different and you must optimize your digital marketing strategy accordingly.)

• Mobile Apps That help Share and Play Videos Are On the Rise: In 2012 and 2013 the average time spent watching videos doubled on mobile phones and tripled on tablets. Mobile phone chat apps, such as Facebook messenger and WhatsApp continue to captivate people and increase their worldwide user bases. Fifty billion messages will be sent in 2014 through these apps, according to ibitimes.co.uk. And most of these messages will be in a video format.

• Storytelling Through Explainer Videos is a Rising Trend: The new trend of explainer videos that use either animation or actual people to do the storytelling has risen exponentially in recent times. Check out these 10 explainer videos from startups, listed out by Ben Davis. This type of video is perfect for promoting products and services because they are short, entertaining and convey your marketing message in a unique way.

• Videos In Emails Improve Click Through Rates: By simply mentioning the word ‘video’ in an email subject line, click-through rates were increased by seven (numbers under 10 should be written out, and so should the word percent -AP style) to 13 percent, according to the 2012 Experian Digital Marketing Trend Report. You can find more statistics on email marketing via video content in this SmartInsights post.

Popular Video Formats

Some of the most popular video formats that generate user engagement or increase brand visibility are:

• Video testimonials
• Product demos
• About us videos
• Instructional videos
• Video tutorials
• Interviews
• Animated videos
• Creative videos with elements of humor
• Celebrities endorsing the brand